Debra L. Martin's Blog, page 240

#Excerpt: NO HARD FEELINGS by Maria Tandori

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Marta will be awarding a $25 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Some secrets can’t stay hidden, especially when they involve murder…

Liz Farrell is still reeling over the murder of her mother almost a year earlier at the hands of her father, Leo Bauer, when she receives the startling news that she’s inherited her estranged father’s sizable estate. Unable to come to terms with her father’s unspeakable legacy, Liz and her grandmother, Kate Stanton, visit Leo’s property in Benedict Canyon, desperately hoping to find closure. Instead, they find a bunker hidden under an old hunting lodge that had been used by Leo at one time to hold Liz’s mother captive. Horrified by the discovery, Liz immediately orders the bunker filled and the lodge destroyed but the ensuing demolition quickly comes to a grinding halt after a man’s remains are discovered in a shallow grave at the base of the old lodge. Once the press get wind of the gruesome discovery, rumors quickly surface, linking the remains to a murder spree that took place at the same address almost half a century earlier; a murder spree conveniently covered up by the governor at the time who also happened to be Leo Bauer’s stepbrother. Liz and Kate’s efforts to uncover the truth behind the murders are soon hampered by family secrets and a killer who’s intent on finishing the job started almost fifty years ago.

Enjoy this excerpt:

Karen Devane pulled into the parking lot of her cousin’s apartment building with a squeal of tires. She drove around, trying to find a parking spot. Finally, she gave up and pulled into a tow away zone. Picking up the pizza box on the seat beside her, she hurried into the building before waiting impatiently for the elevator to take her to the second floor. Rushing down the corridor, she stopped in front of the door marked 10B and rapped on it. A second later, she rapped again, this time more impatiently.

“Who is it?” came the muffled question from the other side of the door. .

“It’s me,” Karen replied. She heard a few locks turning and the door was thrown open a minute later by Liz, wearing a bathrobe and a forlorn expression on her face. .

“Hi.” Her eyes were puffy and red, and it was clear that she’d been crying. .

“Hi yourself.” Karen charged into her apartment, not waiting for an invitation. .

Liz followed behind, watching wordlessly as Karen marched into her kitchen and began opening cupboard doors, looking for plates. Everything about her small apartment, from her dining room table to the small balcony that was a myriad of colors and scents, was neat, orderly, and inviting. “Cupboard on the right of the sink, second shelf,” Liz told her automatically, pulling up a chair to the other side of the counter. “What are you doing here … or is that kind of a stupid question?” .

Karen gave her cousin a pointed look. “What do you think? Grams told Mom what happened at the attorney’s office and Mom told me.” She flipped open the lid of the pizza box and extracted two cheesy slices before plopping them on a plate and handing it to Liz. .

“Figures.” Liz listlessly picked at the crust of her pizza. .

“You might as well get used to how things work in our family.” Karen helped herself to several slices of pizza and went over to sit beside her cousin. “Want to talk about it?” .

Two lone tears slid down Liz’s cheeks. “What’s there to talk about? How totally screwed up my whole life has been, or how screwed up it is now?” .

About the Author:
By the time Marta Tandori reached fifth grade, she was an avid reader and writer with a stack of short stories collecting dust in a box under her bed but it wasn’t until she began studying acting in her early twenties at the prestigious American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York that Marta realized acting wasn’t really her passion – writing fiction was. What followed was years of writing workshops as well as correspondence courses in writing for children through the Institute of Children’s Literature in Connecticut. She credits the award winning author, Troon Harrison, as the instructor who helped her find her literary voice. Marta’s first work of middle-grade fiction, BEING SAM, NO MATTER WHAT was published in 2005, followed by EVERY WHICH WAY BUT KUKU! in 2006. With her more recent endeavors, Marta has shifted her writing focus to mysteries and suspense having “strong female protagonists with closets full of nasty skeletons and the odd murder or two to complicate their already complicated lives”.

To learn more about Marta, please visit her website at http://martatandori.com, her Facebook Author Page at www.facebook.com/MartaTandoriAuthor, or her Twitter page @MartaTandori .

 

#Review: TAKING ANGELS by C.S. Yelle

3 of 5 stars
Britt Anderson has been handed a tough lot in life. At only 18 years old, she's dying of cancer and she's tired of fighting. A final family trip camping has Britt determined to end her life. Convincing her father to help her to the river, she propels herself into the current and goes over the waterfall. It's her final gift to her parents to relieve them of their suffering watching her die inch by inch. When her battered and bruised body washes ashore at the bottom of the falls, it's not death that meets her. She is touched by Allister Parks and not only does he bring her back to life, but she is now cancer free and her injuries from going over the waterfall are healed.

This book started out strong and I was immediately drawn into the story. How would this young woman handle being healthy again? Britt reconnects with her 3 best friends and they begin their senior year of high school together. When Allister and his sister show up at the same school, Britt is drawn to the handsome young man. I found this part of the book dragged especially with page after page of Britt getting dress, jumping in her friend's jeep and them going to school. The book got interesting again with the introduction of Kendal, an Eternal, who has been doing evil deeds and breaking every code Eternals are supposed to follow. I don't want to give any spoilers here, but I didn't like the path this character took. While the author does present some unique perspectives about Eternals, angels, and half-angels, I found this book was too easy to put down. However, an intriguing Epilogue should keep young adult readers interested in this series.



Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17612516-taking-angels?ac=1

Purchase:
--B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/taking-angels-cs-yelle/1114892226--Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Taking-Angels-Angel-Crusades-Yelle-ebook/dp/B00BZ1ONHE/ref=two-en

AUTHOR BIO:C.S. Yelle was born and raised in Grand Rapids, MN, the “almost” middle child of six.  He attended Grand Rapids Senior High School where he enjoyed music and sports.  He received his BS in Chemistry from Mayville State University, Mayville, ND in 1987.  He taught 7-12 Science and coached for six years in several North Dakota schools and currently works as an Executive Account Manager in the Water Treatment Industry where he has been for nearly seventeen years.  He is the father of four and grandfather of one.  He writes novels, screenplays, and an occasional short story.  He has been writing seriously for over ten years and plans to continue until his fingers are unable, maybe longer.  He currently resides in a Minneapolis, MN suburb with his wife Jennifer and their rat terrier, Holly.
Author Links:http://p8.hostingprod.com/@csyelle.com/https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6996127.C_S_Yellehttps://www.facebook.com/pages/CS-Yelle/368771436505884https://twitter.com/CSYelle
Tour wide giveawayOpen INTL - Ends May 25th--25$ Amazon Gift Card
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Guest Post: To Plot or Not to Plot: That is the Question by A.J. Lape

When I started writing, I didn’t even know someone along the great literary way had divided us into groups. Wouldn’t you know I’d fall into the fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants one? For those that are into the label thing, there are two types of writers: plotters and pansters. A plotter is like a general. They like structure and plan things out before they even open a notebook or fire up their laptops. In fact, the lack of organization is kind of like trying to get to California from Podunk, Kentucky without a road map. They’d feel more prepared if they had an outline in their heads of what would get them from Point A to Point B. A panster, however, may have an overall plot in mind, but mostly they’re flying blind, letting the story develop as they peck on their keyboards. In fact, pesky rules tend to disrupt the creative juices. Oh, God help me, I’m sooooooo a panster. I spent two weeks making an outline once, only to throw all that hard work out when I got to chapter three. In fact, I often write chapters out of sequence because that scene is so strong in my head that the characters won’t leave me alone until I immortalize their little rants and ravings. I’m actually like one of those little pilot fish, just sucking on the back of a character and hanging on for the ride. That being said, a panster often doesn’t know the end of their stories until they get to the last chapter. And even then, rewrites might change pertinent details on what they think is a finished product before it is uploaded for sale. Here’s an example. I’m revising DEFCON Darcy right now, book four in the Darcy Walker Series, and it was actually the first book I wrote. So for me, I haven’t even written the books in my series in order. What happened with DEFCON Darcy was once I wrote the book I realized I needed to go back in Darcy’s past to explain how she became the person up to that point. It took three books for me to feel comfortable rolling out DEFCON Darcy and tackling the albatross around her neck that made her the Darcy the reader knows her to be: that catalyst being the mysteries surrounding the absence of her mother. That being said, I wrote the majority of DEFCON Darcy in 2008. Now that I have revisited it again, I’ve written in a character from book one, Grade A Stupid, because without him, there would be a huge gap in the story. Did I know this character needed to be there in 2008? Um, no, he was barely a blip on the proverbial radar, but the evolution of the series made this character a glue that will tie all four books together nicely.And for a little peek into my personal psyche, that is totally unlike who I am as an individual! As a person, I like to have Plan A, and then if Plan A goes down the sewer, I will make a Plan B and C. When I write, it was only logical to think I’d operate in the same fashion, but my creative process doesn’t cooperate. I can’t force things by an outline, I wish I could—things might go faster—but I will let characters lead me where they want to go and when I feel that wash of peace drizzle over me, I know a scene is what it should be. So in essence, there is no right or wrong way to create—whether a plotter or a panster. It’s what works best for the author and gets those creative juices flowing.
Book & Author Details:100 Proof Stud by A.J. Lape
(The Darcy Walker Series #3)
Publication date: May 13th 2014
Genres: Mystery, Young Adult

Synopsis:Sometimes life smacks you right in the kisser with a whole lot of ohhhh craaaaap.

Just ask Darcy Walker.

100 Proof Stud picks up four months after No Brainer’s cliffhanger ending, and Darcy discovers the aftermath pales in comparison to the crisis her heart is in. All of a sudden it’s raining men, and this teenage heroine’s personal life turns her inside out.

Before she can sort out her feelings, she chases a spray-painting vandal and stumbles upon a case of identity theft right in her own backyard. Darcy jumps into the fray headfirst to prove she can hang with the big boys.

But it’s not just to hang…nope, she’s chasing reward money.

Tapping her band of misfit brothers for help, she turns Valley upside down trying to unearth the criminals. Problem is, the cloak and dagger goes high-octane, and she raises the bar on “crazy” in the process.

Bullets ring out…dead bodies appear…and Darcy rubs shoulders with the ultimate sociopath. In the midst of murder and mayhem, will she finally follow her heart or build a fortress of lies around it? Will she even get the chance?
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21912421-100-proof-stud?ac=1
Purchase:--Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Proof-Stud-Darcy-Walker-Series-ebook/dp/B00K7JU8RY/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1399648725&sr=8-3&keywords=100+Proof+Stud
AUTHOR BIO:A. J. lives in Cincinnati with her husband, two feministic daughters, an ADD dog, a spoiled hamster, and an unapologetic and unrepentant addiction to Coca-Cola. She studied English, Journalism, and Political Science at Morehead State University and left the business world when her daughters were born. Her love for suspense and a good story was born from watching Mystery Science Theater with her sister during childhood. That and any B-movie with comedic undertones they could get their hands on.

From a small town in Kentucky, her sister and she lived in their imaginations on a regular basis, and A.J.'s love for the bizarre and paranormal still holds true to this day. She loves roller coasters, scary movies, and haunted houses and the weird sense of accomplishment it gives her when she can make it through without keeling over.

If Life has taught her anything, it's the need to acquire a wicked sense of humor, come up swinging, and to never, ever give up...no matter what obstacle is in front of you.

When she's not riding that razor-thin line between creativity and insanity, she likes to read, watch too much cable TV, or cheer like a banshee at her daughters' sporting events.

A. J. loves to connect with fans! You can find her via Twitter and Facebook or send an email.

Twitter: http://twitter.com/ajlape
Twitter: http://twitter.com/darcywalker13
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAJLape
Amazon Author Page: amazon.com/author/ajlape

Blitz-wide GIVEAWAY 1 Open to US and Canada - Ends June 2nd
--2x signed paperbacks of Grade A Stupid (book 1) by A.J. Lape
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GIVEAWAY 2 Open INTL as long as Amazon ships there
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#Excerpt: ONLY WITH YOU by Cecilia Gray

Book & Author details:
Only With You by Cecilia Gray
(The Jane Austen Academy Series #5)
Publication date: May 2014
Genres: Romance, Young Adult

Synopsis:Dive into the fabulous, fun lives of six Academy girls as their friendships are tested, torn and ultimately triumph…
Emma has it all – looks, money, and luck. It’s not like she keeps it all to herself – she’s totally committed to helping those less fortunate. AKA, everyone. She invites her heartbroken friend to help with a weekend charity event with an eye to match make, but when that friend turns her eye toward the guy Emma wants for herself, how will she choose between friendship and her own feelings?
The last thing that the girls at the elite Jane Austen Academy need is hot guys to flirt with. But over the summer the school has been sold, and like it or not, the guys are coming. And it’s about to turn the Academy—and the lives of its students—totally upside down…The Jane Austen Academy series are modern retellings of Jane Austen classics set at a beach side California boarding school.
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16039713-only-with-you

Purchase:
--B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/only-with-you-cecilia-gray/1119434163?ean=2940149552443
--Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Only-You-Jane-Austen-Academy-ebook/dp/B00K4LW0SU/ref=twoen-20
AUTHOR BIO:Cecilia Gray lives in the San Francisco Bay Area where she reads, writes and breaks for food. She also pens her biographies in the third person. Like this. As if to trick you into thinking someone else wrote it because she is important. Alas, this is not the case.

She’s rather enamored of being contacted by readers and hopes you’ll oblige.
Author Links:www.ceciliagray.comhttps://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5061397.Cecilia_Grayhttps://www.facebook.com/ceciliagrayhttps://twitter.com/ceciliabooks
Excerpt:

Emma slipped into her pink silk camisole and sat in front of her vanity. She usually continued her nightly ritual with fifty strokes of her wide-toothed comb along her scalp to stimulate hair growth, followed by dry brushing and moisturizing head to toe. The same routine a starlet had taught her mom years ago and that her mom had then taught her. Gail Greene was famous for her youthful beauty, and Emma wanted to be famous for everything her mom was famous for.Her door swung open, and in her vanity mirror's reflection, she saw Knight charge in, still dressed in jeans and a dark-gray tee, his hair sticking up in every direction. She whirled around. "Knight! What the—""What is this weekend really about Emma?" Knight stopped in front of her and crossed his arms. His gaze dipped a moment but shot back up to her face, more irate than ever. "Don't tell me it's about saving puppies."Emma folded her arms over her chest. "This weekend is about a lot of things. I told you. I'm a multitasker. I want to spend time with my friends. And yeah, I want to save a few puppies.""I'd be fine with all that, but this is also about you trying to set up Anne and Josh." He paused a beat as if waiting for her to deny it. His voice was strangled. "Emma—""So what? Why shouldn't I want to set up Anne and Josh?"Knight's face pulled into a look of utter distaste. "Don't tell me you'd do that to Anne. Especially after what Josh did to you. Why would you waste that extraordinary energy on him?""Why, Knight," she said when a sharp spear of pain lanced through her at his biting remark, "I believe you just called me extraordinary.""You think Josh is going to make her happy? Did he make you happy?"Her smile fell, but she swallowed it under a smirk. "No, he didn't, and no, he won't make her happy, either. So typical, Knight, to assume I'd think boys were the answers to all our problems. Having fun, getting confident, and not living in the past anymore. That's what will make Anne happy. It's going to take more than compliments from Josh, but it's a start. I'm trying to help her, which is more than I can say for you."Knight's expression softened. He took three steps toward her. He was almost standing between her bare legs, the camisole riding up on her thighs. He rested his hands on her shoulders, and his thumb rubbed softly against her skin. Every single strand of hair on her arms felt charged, and she didn't need a mirror to know her face had flushed."I know you mean well, Emma. That's one of the things I love about you—you always mean well.""Another compliment?" Emma said. "Is it my birthday?" She felt warm even as his words stung. That was the problem with Knight. He was always so disapproving of everything she did. Every compliment came with a cut. Every sweet word with a sarcastic sting. "It's three dozen dogs and cats. Two friends. One weekend. Just stick with me."He smirked. "When have I not?"His gaze brushed over her as he gave her shoulders another quick squeeze. She glanced at his hands, noticing for the first time the rough skin at his knuckles from his weekly boxing sessions, the veins running along the skin. The tip of her nose brushed his wrist, and she was caught off guard by the sudden urge to turn to him, press her cheek against his hand.She imagined him palming her face, pulling her to her feet, sliding his hand against the smooth silk of her camisole at her waist…Knight pulled away and walked quickly out to the balcony.***
Giveaways:Tour wide giveawayOpen INTL - Ends June 3rd--50$ Amazon or B&N or iTunes gift card--A book giveaway of the author's choice to the winner based on her perusal of their Goodreads shelf (because just like her heroine, Emma, she think she know what's best for everyone. ;) - we thought this would be fun and relates to the MC's personality.
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Interview with Kate Jarvik Birch

Are you a Planner or Pantster?Very much a planner! In fact, one of my favorite parts of writing a novel is the initial plotting stage. Maybe it’s because I’m still totally smitten with my idea (SNIS: shiny new idea syndrome) and everything is chock-full of possibility! At this stage the idea is still perfect. Of course, once I start writing it’s exciting to see the story morph and change into something alive, but it never stays exactly the same as that initial seed of an idea.
How long does it typically take you to write a novel, start to finish?It varies, but I’m usually pretty speedy with the first draft. It can take anywhere from a month and a half to three months. It’s the subsequent drafts that end up taking MUCH longer.
Do you work on one project at a time, or are you a multi-tasker?I’m not the greatest multi tasker because I tend to get pretty obsessed with whatever idea I’m currently working on. Maybe it’s because for the book to really come alive it has to percolate inside my head 24/7. Who knows when a great idea is going to hit. It usually seems to happen in the shower or while I’m driving. But if the story hasn’t been given room to just sit quietly inside my skull, those epiphanies don’t tend to happen. I’ve had to learn how to divide my energies while working on revisions with editors, but it’s still difficult for me.
Did you have to overcome any fears that first time you sat down to write?Always! Every time! What if the words don’t come? What if I can’t make this scene work? What if I don’t have any original thoughts? Those first few minutes sitting down to write are always difficult, but I’ve noticed that it’s like warming up a muscle and after a few minutes those cold, hard feelings soften and melt away and the real writing can begin.
Have you ever quit on an ms, and how did you know it was time?I’m not sure I’ve ever REALLY quit on one. I’ve put them aside, but always with the promise that I’ll come back and try again some time.
Do you think social media helps build your readership?Book & Author Details:Deliver Me by Kate Jarvik Birch
Published by: Bloomsbury Spark
Publication date: April 15th 2014
Genres: Dystopia, Young Adult

Synopsis:One People. One Union. One Future.

Wynne’s entire life is dictated by the Union: the clothes she wears, the books she reads, even the genes she inherited. And like every other girl in the Union, Wynne dreams of being chosen as a Carrier on her 16th birthday—one of the elite selected to carry the future generation within her womb. Wynne and her best friend Odessa are certain they will both make the cut, but when Odessa is chosen and whisked off to a life of privilege, Wynne is left behind to work as an assistant, delivering perfectly planned babies for the Union.

As Odessa slips deeper and deeper into the role of Carrier, Wynne begins to see the Union for what it really is: a society that criminalizes the notion of love, and forbids words like mother and family.

For the first time in her life, Wynne is faced with a choice: submit to the will of the Union, or find a way to escape and save Odessa before she is lost forever.
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20877865-deliver-me?ac=1
Purchase:--Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Deliver-Me-Kate-Jarvik-Birch-ebook/dp/B00JEWY4BG/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1399648947&sr=8-3&keywords=deliver+me--B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/deliver-me-kate-jarvik-birch/1119075953?ean=9781619635364
AUTHOR BIO:Kate Jarvik Birch is a visual artist, author, playwright, daydreamer, and professional procrastinator. As a child, she wanted to grow up to be either a unicorn or mermaid. Luckily, being a writer turned out to be just as magical. Her essays and short stories have been published in literary journals including Indiana Review and Saint Ann’s Review. She lives in Salt Lake City, Utah with her husband and three kids. To learn more visit www.katejarvikbirch.com

Author links:https://twitter.com/katejarvikbirchhttps://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7159349.Kate_Jarvik_Birchhttp://www.katejarvikbirch.com/https://www.facebook.com/katejarvikbirchbooks
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NEW Release: THE HIDDEN CHILD by Camilla Lackberg

An Amazon Editors Pick for Spring 2014“Fans of Nordic noir will appreciate this taut, twisty mystery enriched with historical detail.” ~Kirkus Reviews “The Hidden Child will keep fans of Swedish crime guessing until the final pages.  ~Booklist
“[In] Läckberg’s excellent fifth novel…horrific secrets come to light as the author skillfully shows how the past has influenced recent events.”  ~Publishers Weekly (starred review)

About the Author  
Camilla Läckberg’s novels have all been #1 bestsellers in Sweden.  She was the #1 bestselling female author in Europe last year and her books have been published in thirty-five countries. Her previous novels are The Ice Princess, The Preacher, and The Stonecutter. Camilla lives in a suburb of Stockholm with her family. www.camillalackberg.com

Interview with Laury Falter

Q.  What inspires your writing?A. It is incredibly fulfilling when readers get excited about any one of my books. To put it simply, I write for them.
Beyond that, I started writing my first book in January 2009, after Joyce Durham lost her battle to colon cancer. I am good friends with her daughter, Erika, who was then faced with the very difficult task of learning how to deal with the loss of her mother. Witnessing her struggle and that of the Durham family, I wished there was someone who could visit with those who had passed over to the other side and bring back messages to the living, reassuring them that all was fine with their loved one. And from it, Magdalene Tanner was born. I went on to write FALLEN in just under two months, releasing it in March 2009.
Q.  What is your favorite thing about being an author?A.  Bringing a couple’s love to life on the pages so that they can rouse the reader’s emotions. Along those same lines, knowing I’m taking my readers away from the onslaught of daily life for a brief vacation is incredibly rewarding.
Q.  What is the toughest part of being an author?A.  Deadlines! I try to turn around a book every few months and that can be a grueling schedule. Ugh!
Q.  If you could not be author, what would you do/be?A. I was a full-time marketing professional until I lost my job last summer. To pay the bills, I wrote the second book of the Guardian Trilogy. Thankfully, people liked it! If they didn’t, I’d still be putting together marketing plans.
Q.  What is your favorite book of all time?A.  The Bridge to Terabithia. It was the first book I read as a child that made me cry, and it still makes me tear up when I think about it now. An absolutely wonderful read!
Q.  Which character from ANY book are you most like?A.  Margaret Simon, from Judy Blume’s book “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret”. Like her, I have great inner dialogue that is constantly rambling through my head.
Q.  What character from all of your book are you most like?A. Magdalene “Maggie” Tanner. I completely connect with her unwavering dedication to protect others.
Q.  What is your favorite season?A. Fall. I LOVE Halloween. What other day of the year can you dress up like a zombie and no one will think you’re crazy, or run screaming from you?
Q.  What inspired your book cover(s)?  Or what is your favorite book cover and why?A. The online versions of the Guardian Trilogy have a lot of white space in the background because I sold Fallen first on my personal website and didn’t want to waste anyone’s printer ink when printing the book.  The remaining novels followed suit. This worked out, thankfully, because the colors (or lack of) represent a great contrast between good and evil.
Q.  Anything you want to say to followers of this blog or those that are just stopping by?A.  If you enjoy being taken away for a little while by a romantic story set in a paranormal world, check out Laury Falter’s books at www.lauryfalter.com.
Book & Author Details:Messenger by Laury Falter
(Guardian Trilogy Prequel)
Publication date: May 8th 2014
Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult

Synopsis:Maggie does not know she is a Messenger. She has never met her eternal lover. She has never survived a Fallen One. All this changes when a Messenger awakens in the Hall of Records only to die moments later, never to return.

As Maggie sets out to determine why the Messengers are suddenly beginning to die, she crosses paths with the infuriatingly appealing Eran and their story begins.

In this riveting account of Maggie’s first life on earth with Eran, the star-crossed lovers’ romance transpires amidst treacherous enemies, their friends’ resistance, and their own opposing wills. With the odds against her, can Maggie survive long enough to admit the feelings she has so carefully denied?

Messenger is the first prequel to the bestselling Guardian Trilogy – the breathtaking romantic saga about a love that has lasted centuries between a Messenger and her Guardian.
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20647055-messenger
Purchase:Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Messenger-Guardian-Trilogy-Prequel-1-ebook/dp/B00K6MOM56----
AUTHOR BIOLaury Falter is a bestselling author of young adult romantic suspense and urban fantasy. She has three series out: the Guardian Trilogy, the Residue Series, and the Apocalypse Chronicles.

To learn more about Laury and her novels, visit her at:
Website: lauryfalter.com
Twitter page: twitter.com/LauryFalter
Facebook page: facebook.com/pages/Laury-Falter/196033543803745
Goodreads page: goodreads.com/author/show/4061922.Laury_Falter
GIVEAWAYSBlitz-wide giveawayOpen INTL - Ends May 20th--The full Guardian Trilogy series in eBook

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#New urban fantasy release: THE VAMPIRE WEDDING by Regina Duke

Blurb:

USA Today Bestselling Author Regina Duke presents a paranormal romance!

Cassie Skyler is alone in the world, except for her BFF and a building full of tenants she cannot evict. She's looking for Mr. Right. Will she find him at a vampire fan convention? Her parents hid that part of their lives from her until the day they died. It turns out that's not all they kept from her.

Bear Laco is a vampire working for the Collection Agency. His main mission: locate and register any remaining illegal portals between Earthside and Vampside. So why has he been ordered to investigate Cassie? To make matters worse, he can't afford to fall in love with a human being. Not again.


Buy links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/My-Vampire-Wedding-Regina-Duke-ebook/dp/B00K7LF6D8

BN: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/my-vampire-wedding-regina-duke/1119462061

#Excerpt: INTIMIDATOR by Cari Silverwood

Book & Author Details:
Intimidator by Cari Silverwood
(Preyfinders #2)
Publication date: May 7th 2014
Genres: New Adult, Romance, Science Fiction

Synopsis:This is Book 2 in the new Preyfinder series.
Book 1, Precious Sacrifice, is currently in the anthology, Kept.Willow has her hands full scraping out a life in a grungy neighborhood where drugs and crime are the norm. Life is hard, but it’s about to get harder. Being transformed into a sexual pet for an alien warrior may be her only way out.But Stom, the man she’s been awarded to as a battle honor, has no use for a female, not when his heart is still in a million pieces.Though the need to be Stom’s mate is overwhelming her, mending his heart isn’t going to be enough. His enemies are searching, looking for the women who are more than they seem, and she’s in their hands before she discovers she’s more-than-human.Sometimes it sucks to be a chosen one Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21522121-intimidator?ac=1
Purchase:https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-intimidator-1499172-149.html

http://www.amazon.com/Intimidator-Preyfinders-Cari-Silverwood-ebook/dp/B00K4IYUC2/

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/435225
AUTHOR BIO:Cari Silverwood is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of BDSM stories and dark erotic fiction.

She writes the way the world should be - dangerous and sexy with bullets piercing the darkness and lovers wrenched close by ropes. When you need escape, when you need that rough lover to bring you to your knees, here you will find stories to singe your fingers. The taste of adventure, the tang of BDSM, the burn of fantasy run wild. Brace yourselves, if you dare to read.

And...in this real world, she has a lovely family in Australia, with the prerequisite teenager who dwells in the dark bedroom catacombs...a husband who raises eyebrows when he catches glimpses of what she writes, and a menagerie of other animals barking, meowing, and swimming about the place.

Author links:http://www.carisilverwood.net/index.htmlhttps://twitter.com/CariSilverwoodhttps://www.facebook.com/cari.silverwoodhttps://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4912047.Cari_Silverwood

Excerpt:Stom has been observing Willow at a pub, waiting for his chance to kiss her, so he can claim her.*****He’d follow after a few minutes, see where she went. Then Stom’s warrior-enhanced hearing picked up a small shriek, far away, but close enough to be just outside this building. Her. As he ran for the door behind the bar, hurdling the counter and sweeping glasses and bottles to the floor with the tail of his coat, he left behind a thunder of smashing glass. People yelled for him to stop. But out of all this, apart from his anxiety over her safety, his one other concern was that he’d recognized that cry. Anyone else he’d seen here tonight could sing an entire song and he’d not know who it was.Why was this so?Be inconspicuous? So he guessed that meant he shouldn’t use the twin 357 Magnums he wore in a double underarm holsters, or the sub-compact Heckler & Koch MP5 slung at his back beneath the coat, or the... Pity. He could make such a mess with all these neat human weapons.On his way through the kitchen, he snatched up a bunch of knives and forks and stuck them into a pocket.He thrust open the back door and counted back the number of spectators he’d run past. Five, minus whoever was outside. It would do. He could hear the two men somewhere around the corner murmuring threats at Willow. He growled and stalked forward. If he killed these two, maybe that meant he didn’t have to count them?The brick wall of the pub dog-legged to the right and he followed it into a short alley. At the far end, past a half-open dumpster, was a quiet street with a warehouse and a few cars. One insect-shrouded streetlight shed meager light. He kept going past the dumpster and found them.They had her backed into a double door, with Turf holding her wrists above her head. Skull-head had his palm over her mouth and was shoving her T-shirt up above her bra. She was trying to kick them and screaming muffled curses. The man removed his palm from her face long enough to slap her hard, once.A rage like he’d not felt for eons shrieked in and tore his notions of serenity into scrap-sized pieces.
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